Everyday humanity progresses further in many areas of study, particularly science. But when science progresses too far, repercussions are sure to follow. This becomes clear in Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, in which Jimmy grows up in a world surrounded by science and corporations and in I am Legend directed by Francis Lawrence where Doctor Robert Neville is the last human left in New York after a plague destroys the nation. In both the book and the film, societies are doomed by the advancement of science without any restrictions. In the book and the film, the circumstances the characters are in, the situations they find themselves in and a life-altering conflict lead readers and watchers alike to learn that constant, unrestricted progress …show more content…
In Oryx and Crake, Crake creates a disease that destroys almost all of humanity. He does this in order to make way for his new humans, the crakers, who he sees as superior in every way. The disease breaks out when Oryx and Crake are away from the office. Jimmy gets a call from Oryx as it is happening, apologizing to him, saying she did not know it was in the pills. Crake then shows up one day, well after the plague has spread, with an unconscious Oryx in his arms. Jimmy meets him at the door. Crake says one final thing to Jimmy, “‘I’m counting on you’” (394) His final words show that from the start, Crake had been manipulating those around him so his plan would succeed. Jimmy often beats himself up for not catching onto Crake’s plan sooner, remembering all the hints he had dropped throughout their lives. Jimmy also wonders if Crake was right in destroying humanity. It is a disgusting society that cast away those who were not smart enough or inventive enough to help them advance further. But on the other hand it was beautiful what mankind was able to create and Jimmy cannot stand the fact that it is fading all away. “Strange to think of the endless labour, the digging the hammering, the drilling, day by day, year by year, century by century; and now the endless crumbling that must be going on everywhere. Sandcastles in the wind” (51-52) It is at this point that Jimmy realizes his own mortality, realizing that when he dies, no one will remember him. No one will be left to recall the time of the homo sapiens. Humanity ends with him. This is something that he again thinks about at the end of the book when the he pursues the humans the crakers came across while he has gone. The news that other humans have survived gives hope to Jimmy, that all of human
It’s the year 2028, and the world we used to know as bright and beautiful is no longer thriving with light. A disease similar to the plague broke out and caused great havoc. Although it may seem like forever ago, sickness spread only a few years ago. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is about a man and his son who fortunately survived this sickness; although they made it, the struggle to keep going is tough. Before most of the population became deceased, people went insane. They started to bomb houses, burn down businesses and towns, and destroy the environment. Anyone who had the disease was bad blood. Many saw it as the end of the world, which in many cases was true.
In Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, Atwood seems to be offering a forewarning of the troubles that are to arise if our rapacious, self-obsessed society continues at the current rate. Current rate refers to the lack of regard for nature and animal preservation, the increasing intrusiveness of the NSA, the absolute power that large corporations are accumulating, and the severe income disparity. All of which threatens to bring an end to our society. The social issues listed above are a result of a single entity having absolute control over the people; in this case it is the corrupt biotech companies. Corruption is the driving force behind the evils that arise in Oryx and Crake. Mechanisms of control used in Oryx and Crake are similar to those described in Michel Foucault’s “Panopticism”. Panopticism describes that control is effective when enforced through the principles of surveillance, ability to recognize the presence of authority, and isolation. Pharmaceutical companies utilize technology
Deadly and helpful, science is a dual-edged sword. Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the first to emphasize this through his literary works. “Rappaccini's Daughter” and “The Birthmark” are two of his works where he teaches this lesson through the trials of his characters. Focusing on the motif of the “mad scientist”, Hawthorne brings to light the points that people struggle with humanity, learning to love themselves and others, and that science can be more harmful then helpful.
While discussing the unknown frontier that scientists must endure, Barry describes a “wilderness region” that is unfamiliar and new. He continues to say that scientists venture “through the looking glass” into a new frontier. These devices help to create familiar ideas that the audience will understand in an unfamiliar situation. A simile used to compare research to a “crystal” by explaining that “probing” was to “ precipitate an order out of chaos,” much like a crystalline structure forms an ordered structure. Finally, Berry implements a metaphor in order to describe what follows a discovery. He describes “a flood of colleagues” that “ pave roads over the path laid.” This metaphor describes how science continuously changes, one discovery after another while ultimately communicating the patience and curiosity a scientist must have. The culmination of these figurative devices teach a new way of an audience that is unfamiliar with the author's theme.
What does the word crucible mean? The word crucible means a severe test or trial. Throughout the novel, The Crucible, many of the characters go through their own crucible. These trials have a major or minor impact on the characters life throughout the novel. These trials all come together creating the story based on the calamity in America around 1952, which inspired Arthur Miller to write this well known novel. In the novel, there are many different examples from various characters about life lessons and choices. Although the book and play are very similar they do share many differences.
Why do we fear the unknown? In the process of answering this question, science-fiction genre films successfully capture the history of American society at distinct points in time. The genre is so closely linked to social and historical contexts that its development relies solely on this connection. Sci-fi myths and conventions have remained static for decades, and the only measurable change in the genre lies in the films’ themes (Gehring 229-230). For example, Robert Wise’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) argues that fear of the unknown is a flaw in human nature and criticizes the social paranoia of post-war, 1940s America. Conversely, Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) views the human existence through more positive outlook, wherein society can overcome such fear; this optimism reflects the escapist beliefs of the 70s. When juxtaposed, the films’ themes demonstrate the evolution of the sci-fi genre by expressing different social attitudes towards conventions such as foreign beings, unfamiliar technology, and unusual scientists. The films also represent the genre during two major aesthetic periods in cinema—the post-classical and the late modernist eras, respectively—but nonetheless serve a greater purpose in measuring America’s social progress.
Many people change their position on this overarching question: What responsibility do people have when developing new technology? In the texts “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, “the Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, and “De-Extinction” answers the questions that it may impose. Each of these texts share one same belief: Society holds heavy responsibility towards technological advancements. Throughout the article, she talks about how the HeLa helped create cures for various diseases, and how groundbreaking they are.
Atwood creates many ideas in which allude to the thought that an apocalypse was to occur in the future of the novel Oryx and Crake. The presence of separation between a perfect and corrupt society presents many dangerous ideas that lead to the assumption of the ending of human life. In the novel, two different societies are being represented, one being the Pleeblands and the other being the Compound. The Pleeblands have been badly looked upon because p...
The futile attempts by Oranian people are shown throughout the phenomenon that is the plague. Not once do they completely give up hope, even when it seems like the best course of action is to do so. At the end of the story, the plague does seem to vanish, but not because of the people. Camus’s ingenious usage of irony and the subtle development of the characters effectively supports the idea that man will forever strive to outlast and outwit the absurd. When the plague leaves, and the city is in ruins, the people can actually see for themselves how they’ve changed. The literal plague no longer floods the streets, but with its departure comes the realization that the plague will never truly leave.
By the end of Gattaca, Vincent has overcome his many obstacles and is within minutes of accomplishing his childhood goal. Throughout Gattaca, Vincent is forced to have medical testing, which could easily uncover the fact that he is an Invalid member of society. But unbeknown to him the doctor, Lamar, does in fact know that he is an Invalid. In his last minutes on Earth, Vincent is forced to have a urine test, he is visibly worried as he says “Just remember. I was as good as any, and better than most. I could’ve gone up and back and nobody would’ve been the wiser.” Dr. Lamar is unfazed by this confession and reveals that he knew all along “for future reference, right handed men don’t hold it with their left. Just one of those things.” As Dr. Lamar lets Vincent leave, he shows that he supports Vincent and his dreams, because of this Dr. Lamar represents the way that the society could change for the better. Just as there are hopes for the society in Gattaca to redeem itself, there are also hopes of redemption in The Crucible. In the fourth act of The Crucible, John falsely confesses to binding himself to the devil in hopes to save his life, but when he is forced to sign his confession so it can be hung on the church doors for everyone to see, John refuses, “No, no. I have signed it. You have seen me. It is done! You have no need for this.” As a result, his confession is void, and John is hung. By refusing to confess and give up his good name John defeats the corrupt system, he is able to achieve goodness by refusing to conform. The final stage direction suggests hope that the madness of the witch hunts are at an end. By accepting death over complicity with the church, the theocracy is
While reading Oryx and Crake, I found myself confused as I read through the first few chapters. The chapter that brought it all together for me was chapter five. After reading this chapter I feel like it brought the whole plot together. In the chapter titled “Fish” and “Bottle” it is explained that Crake has genetically engineered the Crakers and Snowman is here to contribute to building their moral and philosophical universe. Prior to this chapter I was confused as to what role snowman was playing in this story. Now that I had a better understanding as to the childhood of the characters and their roles in society now, it made me wonder, what if this was real life? What if in today’s world we were all genetically modified to look how we desired?
Antigone, a tragic drama written by Sophocles explores the different ranges of characters: static and dynamic or flat and round. Creon, King of Thebes in the dramatic play Antigone takes on the role that of a static character. Throughout the whole play Creon believed the idea that he was above the law of the Gods and his decrees cannot be disputed. Unknowingly, who would think that Creon’s sense of pride would cause him the life of his wife, son, and niece? However, at the very end of the play Creon returns to the palace, holding his son’s lifeless body, where he finds out that his wife has killed herself as well. Overwhelmed with grief about the death of his loved ones, Creon turns to the Chorus and says, “Lead me away. I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and wife. I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead. Whatever my hands have touched come to nothing. Fate has brought all my pride to thought of dust” (1833). Creon takes responsibility of the death of his son and wife by calling himself a “rash” man and this is where Creon undergoes the changes of a dynamic character by admitting that he was wrong.
with his destruction of the human race. He uses logical thinking to come to the conclusion that the earth is dying, and will no longer be able to support humanity. He therefore decides to destroy humans quickly, all at once, in order to save as much of the planet as he can. He leaves behind the Crakers, a genetically modified breed of humans, which he believes to be far superior to the race he destroys. This mass genocide would not be possible from someone with a normal amount of empathy for his fellow man. Another aspect of this lack of empathy is a heightened ego. Crake believes he is
Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood is a novel that warns us of possible dangers in the future, such as the destruction of the human race and nature. Throughout the novel, Atwood uses examples of destruction as a way to convey the danger of greed when combined with science. There are many examples of destruction within the novel; however, every example of destruction displayed throughout the novel is ultimately caused by greed.
Even though scientific advancement can improve living conditions and solve global issues, it can create them as well. As seen through the genetic modification of coffee beans, the creation of profitable diseases, and the development of the BlyssPluss Pill, the profits generated through technology trigger human greed. This greed leads to extreme capitalism that feeds the economic gap of society and puts the world in control of gigantic corporations. The growth of technology is only beneficial up to a certain extent, otherwise it could lead to catastrophic results through misuse. Atwood’s novel can serve as a warning against intense scientific progression. We as a society must heed that warning to control the potentially destructive technology civilization is so eager to